~ Psalm 20 ~ Spiritual Journey From The Beginning To The End Of The Psalm ~

~ Psalm 20 ~ Spiritual Journey From the Beginning To The End Of The Psalm ~

This is an exquisitely powerful dynamic Psalm! This bravura Psalms takes us on a journey where we can see courage displayed! It is a marvelous prayer that The Lord would lead, guide and protect His people! That He would keep them mindful of what was before them! Here we learn the importance of not boasting in self! How despite the odds of how things appears you can still be VICTORIOUS with The Lord at your side!

The Psalms are a rich compendium of magnificent influential spiritual wisdom collectively composed by at least seven anointed authors that were inspired by The Lord! They are Israel’s God breathed hymnbook originating from ancient times! The Psalms transcends the test of time and the contents are marvelously scripted to endure and last through eternity! It is applicable right now! God’s Word is quite “Alive!” Therefore we too must continue to embrace, implement and apply the TRUTH therein to our everyday lives!

All throughout the history of the Bible you will discover kingdoms and empires rising and falling! King after king diminishing and losing power compromising the Lord’s way and resorting to worldly tactics rather than consulting the Lord!

There were times in David’s life that he had to regress and take a back seat… But it was all in the Lord’s plans! It is so important to humble yourself before The Lord… David knew and had by now learned that the TRUE POWER was in being obedient to The Lord and not man! We at some point in time will be accountable to GOD for ALL we say, think and do! The LORD is Omniscient and knows everything about all of us! This is why we need to diligently seek Him above all else!

Whenever we are faced with strong opposition or when things are not quite working out as planned this is the perfect time to seek advice from the Lord for direction! We should keep in mind that The Lord is Omnipotent! The Lord is ALL POWER! Therefore if we are to ever boast it should be in Him! We are not to put our trust in mankind over The Lord!

During this Psalm David is faced with fierce opposition from the Ammonites! He had sent his men to express his sympathy since their leader King Nahash had died. While living this king had shown some kindness to David although the Ammonites and the Israelites had been at war for many years. But when his men arrived the nobles convinced Nahash son Hanun that David had a hidden agenda and doubted the intentions of his men. So they in turn instead disgraced David’s men and shaved off half of their beards, cut their garments off to display their buttocks and sent them away terribly humiliated.

This was a great insult because men at this time grew beards to express their virile manhood and authority! The Ammonites realized that they had now terribly offended David. They feared he would retaliate therefore: “they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob…” II Samuel 10. They hired a host of others as well to fight against David along with them. Yet, they were still not at all successful!

David has been attributed to in The Word as being a man after “God’s own heart!”He was also known for being a man of war! He was not known to back down when unjustly challenged!

Hanun had listened and took heed to very bad advice from what he perceived to be wise counsel. They had misconstrued David’s humble gestures and good intentions. This still happens quite often today. How many times have you extended yourself to someone and they misunderstood your kind sincerity? They allowed someone else to undermine the already established relationship and doubt your intentions and turn against you! This is what has happening here! Things are not always as they appear. Rather than making amends for having defaulted to bad judgment and apologizing for inappropriately humiliating David’s men; they assembled many forces together and prepared for a battle which they subsequently lost. They allowed their pride to take them out on a limb!

We can learn many great lessons from The Word of God! The Ammonites thought that since they had assembled a host against David and now had them outnumbered, they contemplated that they would surely defeat them. This gave them a false since of security and presumed power. Thinking that their power was in the number of fighting men they assembled against David! The one thing that they under estimated was that David sought The Lord’s direction first and yielded to His directions. Joab the leader of David’s army knew that “The Lord WILL DO what is GOOD in HIS sight.”II Samuel 22. Joab also knew that David’s trust was in The Lord not in the numbers! It is in The Lord we too must TRUST! “GOD WILL FIGHT YOUR BATTLES!”

Book Of Praise Lesson Hightlights

BOOK 1

“A Psalm of David”

Theme: A prayer for VICTORY in battle. Such a prayer can help us prepare for any great challenge. David knew that his TRUST should be placed in The Lord more than in human power.

Author: David

History teaches us that The Name of The God of Jacob is synonymous with The God of Israel where the Hebrew nation is consequentially derived from! It is known that God was The Protector of the nation! The sanctuary was denoted as The Holy Place designated for worship! “May The Lord answer when you are in distress’ may The Name of The God of Jacob protect you. May He send you help from The Sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.”

Burnt offerings and sacrifices were made on a continuum to make atonement for the sins of the people before Jesus Christ died on The Cross! Jesus became The Ultimate Sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the world! He redeemed us and blood sacrifices were no longer required! We NOW are covered by The Blood of Jesus! It has miraculous cleansing power! We must humble ourselves and readily repent whenever necessary! God is recognized as The Most High God and prayer and intercessions were being made here in this Psalm to request His protection. This remains to be true today!

Here we are able to get a glimpse into the day to lives of God’s people. God was consulted in every aspect of David’s life! David confessed and repented of his sins and sought the face of The Lord! He had a sincere heart and his desire was that the will of The Lord be done! This is also why the Favor of The Lord was upon his life!

We too in this 21st century need to stay tuned into The Lord through prayer! We are told to PRAY UNCEASINGLY; during this time as we meditate on HIM! PRAYER becomes a conscious state of mind! Thank God we no longer have to offer up burnt offerings! But we can offer up a Sacrifice of Praise! There is POWER in PRAISING our Most High GOD! This is true If you are in the company of many or alone. God sees and knows our hearts! There is much on the horizon to circumvent us and attempt to derail us from the straight and Narrow Path that leads to The Lord! The Lord is able to direct us as well as deliver us from danger and any evil. Therefore we should daily include Him in our plans! Pray for discernment! Today we can Thank God for Jesus Christ and His Internal Teacher and Comforter; His precious Holy Spirit! He will never leave nor forsake us! “May He remember all your sacrifices and remember all your burnt offerings. May He give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”

There is no failure in God! Things will not always go our way and one should expect to be maligned and misunderstood but in the end when you truly LOVE HIM GOD will work it all out for the GOOD! In Him we can have the VICTORY!

When going into battle a flag or banner was waved to announce whose side you were on! It is important that you KNOW without a doubt that God is The Most High God and above Him there is no other! David was known as The King of Israel and represented The Most High God! Here he displays a vote of confidence! “We will shout for JOY when you are VICTORIOUS and will lift up our banners in The Name of our God! May The Lord grant All your requests”

Life can hurl many obstacles in our path. Some intentionally placed before us to discourage, oppress us and or break us down! God will even work the bad things out for our GOOD! The Lord will use them all to strengthen our character! However, it is important to consecrate yourself for The Lord! Spend time in His Presence and allow the cleansing Power of The Blood of Jesus to prepare you for the spiritual warfare! Don't become bitter but BETTER! Draw closer to The Lord! What others may perceive to be arrogance is really confidence in the Lord! Without HIM life is meaningless... God will interpose His Strength upon us as we yield to Him in our moments of weakness and become humble. Our reliance is not on an army, person or thing but in HIS precious Holy Spirit! We CAN truly TRUST GOD! HE IS so much more than our little finite minds can ever conceive or envisage! “Now I KNOW that The LORD SAVES HIS Anointed; He answers him from His Holy Heaven with the saving POWER of His right hand.”

When you have said and done all that you can do; “STAND! Firm with the buckle of TRUTH around your waist, with the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS in place…”Ephesians 6. We are in a spiritual battle against authorities, powers and principalities who want to destroy us and render us powerless and what we stand for meaningless… Therefore it is very important to personally KNOW The Lord and HIS WORD for yourself! “With this in mind, be ALERT…” It is important to remain PRAYERFUL on ALL occasions & keep your focus on The LORD! “GOD WILL FIGHT YOUR BATTLES!” May our prayers and petitions that are in accordance with His Will be answered… “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we TRUST in The Name of The LORD our GOD. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and STAND FIRM.”Jesus Christ is The King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Our Most High God is The Supreme Ruler & Monarch He alone is SOVEREIGN!Praise God! & PRAISE GOD! “TO GOD BE THE GLORY!”

This Psalm concludes saying: “O LORD, save the king! Answer us when we CALL!”

I agree with you DeBorrah K. Ogans in your comment to PDXKaraoke. AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hugs and Blessings... Voted-Up!

Author

DeBorrah K Ogans 6 years ago

PDXKaraoke, Thank You! I stand corrected! I am glad that this article was helpful and that you are grounded in The TRUTH! It really is important for us to KNOW who we are in The Lord so we are not "tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming..." Galatians 4

Again, Thank You for sharing! God Bless YOU!

Justin W Price 6 years agofrom Juneau, Alaska

My issue isn't with God or the Truth of his Word, but rather with those who preach things in his name that contradict His word. Don't add to it or take away from it, as the Word says.

Author

DeBorrah K Ogans 6 years ago

PDXKaraokeGuy, You are quite welcome! I pray that you are continually encouraged! GOD's WORD is AWESOME and it is ALL TRUE! Spending time in HIS WORD each day even if it is reading just a few verses will be most helpful! You matter to The LORD! Draw closer to Him and HE WILL strengthen your FAITH & TRUST in HIM! GOD BLESS YOU!

Thank you for stopping by to share, You are invited to continue to share this journey through the PSALM! In HIS Love Grace, Joy, Peace & Blessings!

Author

DeBorrah K Ogans 6 years ago

Lady E, You are ALWAYS welcome! I am elated that you took the time to have another read! Be encouraged & inspired! The Psalm has a wealth of spiritual insight and are a great place to find solace and meditate on its content! GOD BLESS YOU for your faithfulness!

In HIS Love, Grace, Joy, Peace & Blessings!

Justin W Price 6 years agofrom Juneau, Alaska

Thanks for sharing. Struggling with my faith lately, so it's nice to read something to keep me grounded and serve as a reminder of who I am

Elena 6 years agofrom London, UK

I came back to read this again. Your Hubs are very informative - It's always nice to have another read.

Thanks for opening up the Psalms to us. Sometimes, if I don't want to use my own words to pray, I read a Psalm, as a lot are prayers.

God Bless you xx

Author

DeBorrah K Ogans 6 years ago

James A. Watkins, Thank YOU! You are so very welcome! It really is important that we continually and consistently spend time seeking The Lord! It is important to spend time in His Presence and meditating on is Word daily! The Psalms are marvelous and are an endless inspiring resource of spiritual wisdom!

David is an excellent example for all of us! He shares his ups and his downs as well as his plethora of Victories! God truly is able! There is much going on in this world about us and when you commit to live for the Lord the spiritual warfare becomes heightened!

Be encouraged! I have a great respect for you as a brother in The Lord and the myriad of wonderful, informative and educational presentations you share here on The Hub Pages.

The amazing and beautiful thing about The Lord is that He KNOWS where each of us are in or walk with Him! His promise to Never leave nor forsake us is so very true! We can REJOICE knowing that He has a plan for each of our lives! As long as He has us here on this side of Heaven we can look forward to spiritual growth… It is always a pleasure and I too have been blessed by your edifying comments! They are most appreciated!

In HIS Service, Love, Grace, Peace & Blessings! God Bless YOU!

Author

DeBorrah K Ogans 6 years ago

Prasetio, WONDERFUL! Why Thank You! So glad that you have been inspired! I am touched and much appreciate your encouraging words!

Thank You for stopping by to share, it is always a pleasure! In HIS Love, Grace, Joy, Peace & Blessings! GOD BLESS YOU!

James A Watkins 6 years agofrom Chicago

Yes another marvelous missive, teacher. As you said perfectly well:

"God was consulted in every aspect of David’s life!"

Yes. Ain't it the truth. We do need to continually seek God's Will.

"David confessed and repented of his sins"

At least I have got this part right. Yes, as we all must.

"God sees and knows our hearts!"

If only everyone truly understood what this means. Nothing we do or think is hidden from God.

"Pray for discernment!"

Lord, don't we all need to do this, several times a day. The wish of Solomon should be the wish of all of us.

"Spend time in His Presence and allow the cleansing Power of The Blood of Jesus to prepare you for the spiritual warfare!"

Practicing the Presence of God.

Spiritual Warfare indeed.

Thank you for this edifying experience. It is very good.

Author

DeBorrah K Ogans 6 years ago

Cristina, Thank You! Your spiritual insight and participation here is always welcomed! Your words of wisdom serve to further enrich this " Spiritual Journey through the Psalm" and is much appreciated! Thank you for stopping by to share, In His Love, Grace, Joy, Peace & Blessings! GOD BLESS YOU!

MsDora, You are so welcome! Thank You for stopping by to share! Please do come by and visit again! In HIS Love, Grace, Joy, Peace & Blessings!

prasetio30 6 years agofrom malang-indonesia

Very inspiring. I thought you are the hand of God who always share your spirituality. I am glad to know this from you. Keep on writing and do the best. God bless you!

Love and peace, Prasetio

Maria Cristina Aquino Santander 6 years agofrom Manila

Beautiful hub which presents great counsel to live by. One true source of confidence in living our earthly life is to have the favor of the Lord. We must maintain the favor of the Lord to our life to be victorious just like David. David is victorious in his battles because the favor of the Lord is upon him. We can have this favor by a righteous and holy life before the Lord. This is the true source of power for living. Thank you for bringing out these timeless truths in this hub. May you be blessed today and always. Best regards DeBorrah K. Ogans.

Philipo 6 years agofrom Nigeria

It is well. Remain blessed.

Author

DeBorrah K Ogans 6 years ago

No Body, My it has been a while… This is a marvelous Psalm as they all are! But this one is quite helpful and encouraging! There is POWER in the NAME of JESUS! As from the beginning of time there is much spiritual warfare to attempt to make us doubt BELIEVING and DEPENDING on GOD! HE is ALL that HE says HE is and so much more! Here we are taught that it matters not your position in life, how much or little you might have but that we TRUST GOD! HE Can and WILL bring us through every time!

As you well stated: “they began to allow a misconception to fuel a war. One misconception gave way to another” Amen! This still happens quite often today... This is why discernment is so crucial! God will NEVER lead us to do anything that goes against His principles!

The Lord is truly Good! I am continuously learning to TRUST HIM more and more! I also realize that as we STAND on HIS WORD many will sit on the fence and watch to see if it works! Bob, thank you for stopping by to share your insight! I pray all is well with you... In HIS Love, Grace, Joy, Peace & Blessings!

Dora Weithers 6 years agofrom The Caribbean

Thanks for this wonderful exploration of the psalm. It still comforts and empowers souls in distress. Thanks for sharing!

Robert E Smith 6 years agofrom Rochester, New York

Psalms. Lessons in true love. Wish to be wise start with the Proverbs, wish to learn how to love, read Psalms. David began with extending peace toward those who were potential enemies. Peace was rejected and in calm resolve David regrouped. That allowed the opposition to fully form up and display their true heart, one against God. They could have thrown themselves on God's (David's) mercies. It quite probably would have worked but instead they began to allow a misconception to fuel a war. One misconception gave way to another, that of feeling secure when going against the God of Israel. I'm sure they knew the stories now grown into legends of how awesome Israel's God was. But now they had scheduled themselves for extinction. It is a great lesson for us. Fear God and God will me merciful. Oppose God and prepare for the worst for it will come and the ones that oppose will lose. Great article sister DeB

Author

DeBorrah K Ogans 6 years ago

Lady E, You are so welcome! It is always a pleasure! Be encouraged and KNOW that when you STAND on The LORD'S WORD HE STANDS with you!

Thank you for stopping by to share, In HIS Love Grace, Joy, Peace & Blessings! GOD BLESS YOU!

Author

DeBorrah K Ogans 6 years ago

Skye, It is always Great to hear from you because you write from the heart! There is such a melodic tone in your genuine heartfelt expressions! God Bless You! I am elated that you have been encouraged! Life can get interesting especially when we Love the Lord! I am glad that He sent you this way and I pray that your Joy for The Journey has been refueled and refreshed! God Truly is GOOD!

I must stop by and visit one of your marvelous hubs for some refreshing spiritual words of wisdom, as well! GOD BLESS YOU! Oh My! Yes two more on the way…

Hugs galore right back to you! In HIS Love, Grace, Joy, Peace & Blessings!

Elena 6 years agofrom London, UK

Thanks. I enjoyed this beautiful, inspiring Hub. May God keep us standing firm.

Best Wishes. :)

skye2day 6 years agofrom Rocky Mountains

Sister WOW Blessings my friend. I so loved this. You truely have a beautiful gift of expression in truth with discernment and your words flow like the fresh living water that resides in you. You are a gem. God has so Blessed many with your wisdom and I thank Him. I needed to be here tonight. The ebb and flow of the Spiirt calmed me. For reels the power on this page is flowing in me. I think your an angel sent for me and a host of others. I just love ya girl. You keep on and I know you will Phil 4:13

So two new grandchildren on the way. Beautiful indeed. My oh my God has so Blessed you. Amazing He is. Hugs galore.